Capture
by NecroMarie
Summary: He needed a muse, she needed a companion as much as they don't admit to themselves. (Artists AU)
1. Chapter 1

**Capture**

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" _He needed a muse as she needed_ _a companion_."

It happened when he turned 16. His first camera. Or at least, the first camera set he'd learned to use, given to him by his adoptive father. It was like he was meant to be a Du Couteau, a noble family known for their natural talent in art. His adoptive sisters Kat and Cass, were his first muses. The three of them had a reputation together as siblings. Kat had a talent for carving, talented with knives. Cass was a designer, traveled anywhere she could reach and dreamt to see the world. And he, Talon had a passion for Photography. He had an eye for settings and uniqueness. Together, the three of them create images sold to their father's acquaintances. Katarina makes a setting, Cass designs the clothes both of them model and Talon takes the picture. The frames they used for the pictures were hand-crafted by Kat. The sisters modeled Cassiopeia's clothing in the beautiful british tea party setting. The older sister's red hair was tied into a bun, Cass' brown hair was curled.

They all loved each other dearly and the youngest brother cherished their moments in his own way. With every click of the camera, a memory was preserved and so did his heart grow fond of what he was doing. He was finally part of a family and he buried the life that he once knew. A life with less beauty and art surrounding him, his hobby was nothing but pickpocketing and fighting to survive.

He wanted to forget that time he almost killed a child who stole from him, desperate to fill his stomach with the little food he had. Now, every meal he had was a feast. And he'd hoped for the best that the people who found the child took care of him more than what he deserves. His childhood was a nightmare.

But now the horror he had to face had another name- highschool and he had to survive 'til college and he would study the course he always wanted. So he waited. And while he did, he suffered. Society, change and schoolworks was in the way of his future so he did his best to walk through it. He was different. Different from the other boys in his school. While they were always outside, flirting with other girls, he searched for a muse. They were labelled as "Jocks" and "Varsities" while he was just a plain loner and had little to no friends. He worked alone but it never bothered him. What did bother him was how others treated him. An outcast, a sore thumb, a spoiled rat, an orphan. He was called many things but they did worse to other people.

Like this one girl other students call crazy. A "tree hugger", a loser and a loner like he was. Unlike him, she was smart. Like in academics "smart". She was in the chess club, wore glasses and liked birds. She was almost a tad bit more weird than he was. Especially her violet hair, her golden eyes and nerdy wardrobe choice. She had friends. "Had". He could tell she was loyal. Often seen behind the popular blondie, Luxanna. But always, always ignored by people.

Until one day he saw her sitting on a bench beside a bird fountain, writing something on the journal she always carried. They were at the far back side of the school when he decided to take pictures of the part of the school where no one usually goes to. He had to admit, she looked nice when bathed in sunlight. It made her slightly tanned skin stand out amongst the dark hues of her clothing. The blue vest she wore under a white blouse as a top and the checkered skirt she was wearing contrasted the trees behind her. And as if on cue, a small bird landed on the fountain and she tilted her head to see the bird chirping at her. And she smiled. Perhaps the brightest smile he had seen and his instincts told him to capture this moment. He scrambled for the camera hanging on his neck and his fingers shook to press the button. And she stopped talking to the bird and looked right at the lens, lips parted in shock. He took it. The violet-haired girl reacted, putting back her journal into her satchel and charged at him. _Damn she was fast_. And he turned and ran as quickly as he can, the grass rustling underneath his feet. He heard her scream.

"HEY!"

She was clearly not happy.

He sprinted for his life, into the tracking fields where there are less people in his way. A lot of heads turned to the loner running for his life, being chased by another loner who was labelled insane.

" _Oops, he must've stolen her library card_."

" _Or broke her chess board._ "

The cheerleaders of Valoran Creek whispered and the others laughed.

"TAKE THAT BACK!"

The insane girl shouted at him, and as he started to tire, she lunged at his back, bringing them both down, she rolled a few times away from him before she gathered her feet and walked towards the blue-hooded man on the ground. She grabbed his shoulder and rolled his body to face her.

"What the fuck is your problem, mister!"

She said, staring at his hazel eyes with her golden ones. His eyes widened. Her eyes were golden. It wasn't the sun's reflection in his camera. It was real. She wasn't wearing contacts. She wore glasses so it means they are real.

She wet her lips realizing what she'd done. "Please delete it, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have panicked like that."

He's been pulled up by both of her hands. They were soft, suprisingly.

He was still in shock, after seeing gold in someone's eyes. She kept babbling about things he probably didn't hear until she said, "I'm sorry I broke your camera, I'll replace it I promise. I'll let you keep the the picture, please just don't take a picture at me like that! Please." Her brows furrowed in confusion and took a few steps back and turned to run and avoid contact with other people's eyes. He moved finally, his eyes following the girl. Her short violet hair bouncing as she ran away. He adjusted his backpack and looked at his camera. It wasn't that broken, just that its screen was cracked into a few pieces. He looked at the picture again. Gold. Her golden eyes, violet hair, unusual wardrobe choice, the journal, the bird, the bird fountain, the trees, the bench and her softened face in the afternoon light. She looked beautiful.

There was a glint that cought his eye on the grass. A small part of him was excited and a bit giddy. This was another opportunity for him to see her again. He bent down and picked the thing up.

 _She forgot her glasses._

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 **Note:** Forgive me for the lack of words and convince me to male another chapter instead of wrapping this up to a one-shot.


	2. Chapter 2

**C** **apture**

 **Chapter 2**

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 _Not this again_ , she thought. She panicked yet again and threw a tantrum at a complete stranger who only took a picture of her. It was just one picture yet she felt like he stole something from her. Her privacy, her weird meetings with birds and her privacy! The nerve of that guy. He made her look like a complete idiot and now she had to replace his damn camera. Her eyes were watering yet she wasn't even that sad. She was walking down the stairs and noticed how blurred her vision was. _Shit_. Where were her glasses? She didn't have it. Where did she last place it? The bus will be moving anytime soon and not soon enough or she'll be walking home with the sun setting. She was rummaging through her satchel and not a sign of her blue, thick-framed glasses. How could she forget about them? Quinn took a deep breath, and calmed herself down and her mind panicked again as she heard other students run down the stairs, some were bumping her shoulder on purpose. She was a loser to many. One of the few female members of the chess club, the artist, the sore thumb.

Her world started to spin and she closed her eyes momentarily for them to adjust more. She opened her eyes and saw the blurry image of the bus leaving. She sighed. Another walk home alone and arrive to receive numerous rounds of verbal beating from her mother. She hated walks like this. It made her think more about how miserable she was. Now that she didn't have her glasses, how could she draw, how could she write? She didn't plan on doing her homework that anyway. It was a Monday and the worst day of the week. The farthest day from the weekends, the first day of a hell-school week but lucky for her, the gaming servers have less toxic people during school days, especially at night and she had to maintain her elo in online chess. How she loved her computer so much. Saved her multiple times.

She was Quinn Avian. She didn't grow up like her other friends did. While they strived for popularity and reputation, she just did what she loved to do without letting anyone in the way. Even the judgement of her elementary school friends. She didn't mind Lux's popularity and bubbly personality over hers or Fiora's family mame, elegance, wit and confidence over her talents and strength as an individual. She was strong in her own way. She was independent yet she couldn't help but feel isolated from the other students. She didn't fit in with the cheerleaders. Cheering jocks and varsities weren't her thing nor did wearing skimpy skirts and being swarmed by boys in social media. She didn't fit in with the glee club even if she can sing. The goths? She only liked one song from Marilyn Manson and he was worshipped by them but black wasn't her color. She can't even fit in with the nerds- they were all boys and sexists. The birds in the forests were more welcoming than these people except when Swain and his other goth friends were there.

She practically dragged her feet on the sidewalk and watched the sky turn into full dark and the blur of her surroundings grew. Maybe school was too much for her and she thought joining chess club will get her new friends but they practically joined forces against her. Her first game against one of them went well but they didn't take defeat well.

At least she made it out alive everyday. And she would curse that guy again. Whoever he is she doesn't care. She'll just replace his camera and forget he even existed. Maybe he was one of the jocks and it was some kind of prank to make fun of her talking to birds.

She opened the door to her house carefully, not wanting to alert her mother who was in the kitchen, _as always,_ whenever she arrives. The door squeaked slightly as she tried to close it as quiet as possible and clicked it shut. She rushed to her room, wanting to forget about whatever happened that day.

Sketches littered the wall beside the door. They looked as if a professional artist taped them together there. Not that her room was a mess but her numerous art supplies challenged her to tidy up her room. After all, it would be a bum if she lost some of them. Graphite pencils, Acrylic paints, Watercolor paints, the few Copic markers she owned were all organized neatly in the small shelf on her working desk. Her computer was on the right side of her work desk. It was an artist's paradise in her small room. She would sometimes keep the lights off and watch the outside world through her window blinds and with her binoculars. Well, even if there's nothing much to see outside or across their house. Their neighbors were secretive for some reason or they were just plain boring. Maybe she should own a cat to take care of. Or maybe a dog so that she'll have a reason to go outside even if she didn't want to. Her physical health was at stake. She would just sit there in front of her computer often and draw on her pen tablet or work on a piece on her desk but she didn't have room for excercise.

The only excercise she had was either a quick walk to the library or plucking the strings of her guitar. Her physical fitness was in question. But if her reflexes were considered as physically fit, she'll take it. She knew she was fast when she chased one of those cheerleaders who tried to take away her journal and tackled her like the same thing she did with the photographer guy. She lunged at that bitch and threatened to tell Ahri and Lux her fake breasts in exchange of her innocence in the school records. And it proves that she can handle herself at any situation. As long as she doesn't panic that much.

She jumped on her soft bed, inhaling the faint scent of the matress. She'd like to close her eyes for a moment and maybe drink the tea she bought from her lab partner, Akali. Quinn managed to sneak an electric boiler she got from a garage sale and the tea set her father gave her for christmas when he didn't know what to get her a few years back. She despised the gift playfully until it came in handy now.

Her face was still buried in one of the pillows of her bed. She heard her phone ringing beside her and her satchel moved slightly as it vibrated. It was the special ringtone she had for her insufferable twin brother. She groaned. Quinn often thought about his brother to be dead. He changed. A lot since they moved there when they were 10. Now that they were 16, their true personalities showed and it separated the Avian twins more. She grew more introverted and he, an ambivert. He was normal and she was a weirdo. He got invited to highschool parties often while she would stay in her room, sleeping as early as possible to escape the human realm momentarily and not risk losing her virginity in a "dangerous" and immature social gathering.

She had to answer the call. He rarely uses his phone to communicate with her.

Quinn rolled over to reach for the satchel beside her hip, rummaged through her things and answered the damn call.

"Yes, idiot brother?" Her cheek was planted flat on her pillow, her brows furrowed in annoyance.

"It has come to my attention that you are absent in the family residence." Quinn groaned, _not the stupid accent again_. Caleb and his Shakespeare. Such a charmer he was and a bookworm as well. He loved books as much as he loved to write. Songs, stories, poems and other cheesy things. No wonder why a lot of lovesick boys came to his aide. To profess their love and express their feelings through his "artistic work". She swore he hid a diary somewhere. Yes, a diary and not a journal like one she possesses. There was a great area of differences between them. Journals were for experiences and serious things while diaries were more dramatic like her twin brother. She often wonders which side of the family he got it, her mom or dad? Quinn envied her brother sometimes. He had a shelf full of books in his room and won't even let her in.

"I'm in my room upstairs, Julio and I'm not gonna eat dinner today." She replied.

"Get your bass, we're doing a gig lil sis. Panth and Leo's gonna pay us with free hotdogs for a week, you in?"

"Wait..." Quinn sat up from her position, looking at the guitar hanging on the wall to her left. "Didn't mom tell us not to play for food, Caleb? And our drummer left us, remember?" She told her brother with annoyance.

"C'mon, it's quality time together and I got Garen to bang beats for us."

"Garen Crownguard? As in, Lux's older brother? Crownguard, friend of Lightshield Crownguard?" The young woman swung her legs to the floor and stood up, pulling the amplifier from under the bed. Interesting. So Garen plays drums? Lux's complete opposite and non-rebellious brother? Quinn despised him for being too "righteous" and she doesn't trust a boy without a dark side. Even if he was nice to her brother. But at least they had a drummer again. She did miss playing for money.

"Yes, yes and yes. Next week, we're talking money sis and today's mandatory."

"What, why?"

She took the silver bass from where it hung, slinging it on her shoulder. Maybe she should change her clothes.

"I smellmom's date loaf."

"Should I wear something?"

"Why would I say no to that? You're practically wearing rags."

"Sure, Fabio."

"Love you. Meet me outside, bye."

He hung up, leaving her rummaging through her closet for jeans. She found a white t-shirt and dark jeans, and looked for her purple blazer. Damn it was hard without glasses. Good thing she knew how to play like she knew the back of her hand.

Shit, she forgot how much she struggled carrying her amplifier.

The flight down the stairs was a struggle at first until she got used to her pattern of stepping one foot down, carrying her amplifier with her bass on her shoulder at the same time. He was insufferable.

She went outside to see a black car parked in front with her brother waiting. She could tell he just finished loading his stuff in. This car was unfamiliar and she knew Caleb didn't have a student permit yet. "What's all this?" Quinn questioned her brother, leaving the amplifier behind for him to carry it and he responded quickly, pocketing the phone in his hand.

"My friend offered to help me in exchange for something."

"Don't tell me you're doing his homework for him." Quinn stopped in her tracks, tillting her head towards Caleb.

"Just get in, Quinn." She rolled her eyes and saw a small black handle through her blurry vision. She opened the door and got in to see a redhead texting on her phone.

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 **A/N:** Yas finally. And I am not killing Caleb. And spoiler for a Golden Retriever Valor lolololol.

Thank you guys for the support. : )

Also I'm doin a Pool party one shot.


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